>BrownHairedGirl at 22:17, 5 May 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jnananjan Niyogi
| image = Jnananjan Niyogi.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption =
| birth_date = 7 January 1891
| birth_place = [[Gaya, India|Gaya]]
| death_date = 13 February 1956 (aged 65)
| death_place = [[Kolkata]], [[India]]
| occupation = Political activist; social reformer
| spouse = Asoka}}

'''Jnananjan Niyogi''' was actively associated with the Indian independence movement and was a social reformer.

==Early life==
The son of Braja Gopal and Sumangala Niyogi, he was born at [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] on 7 January 1891. His father had converted to the [[Brahmo Samaj]], under the influence of his maternal uncle, Hari Sundar Bose, and had moved from Berabuchina (now in [[Tangail|Tangail District, Bangladesh]]) to settle initially at [[Gaya, India|Gaya]]. The family later moved to Bankipore, where he had his early education. Braja Gopal Niyogi finally joined [[Keshub Chunder Sen]]'s New Dispensation as a missionary.<ref name = "charitabhidhan">Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), (1976/1998), ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, {{in lang|bn}}, p. 182, {{ISBN|81-85626-65-0}}</ref>

He was in the thick of politics and social reform even before he had completed his college education. He was attracted towards the movement against partition of Bengal in 1905. However, he was strongly influenced by Brahmo ideals and tried to implement them in life. He formed a youth organisation named ‘Band of Hope’ and in 1916, was appointed president of Temperance Federation, a movement against consumption of alcoholic drinks.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/><ref>Niyogi, Niranjan, ''Sadan O Seva'' (Religious Dedication and Service) - Life sketch of Braja Gopal Niyogi,{{in lang|bn}}, publidhed in 1963</ref>

Affected by the suffering of humanity he was drawn towards social efforts that saw him actively participate in the relief work during the floods of [[Damodar River]] in 1914 and [[Atrai River]] in 1916. He was actively associated with and was secretary of Bengal Social Service League established by Dr [[Dwijendranath Maitra]]. Among others involved was Nishi Kanta Bose, another leading social reformer.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

Niyogi helped to form the ''Pallisree Sangha'' for the consolidation of village uplift movement. Having come in contact with and influenced by [[Chittaranjan Das]] he formed the ''Deshbandhu Pallisanskar Samiti''.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

==Working Men’s Institution==
In 1870, Keshub Chunder Sen had established the Working Man’s Institution, under the auspices of Indian Reforms Association, thereby putting into practice an idea he had imbibed during his earlier visit to England. It was meant for education of the working class and practical training of the middle class. The institution closed down after sometime. In order to revive the idea, Jnananjan Niyogi got together a group of youngsters to form the Calcutta Working Men’s Institution at 1/5 Raja Dinendra Street, Kolkata in 1909. That was an institution with which he was actively associated the rest of his life. Amongst others who were involved in the establishment of the institution were Satyananda Roy, Jitendra Mohan Sen and Benoy Krishna Gupta.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

The institution had eighteen branches at one point of time. It organised night classes for workingmen. Apart from regular school classes for primary and secondary education, it organised practical training for such crafts as book binding, tailoring, umbrella making, leatherwork and signboard painting. Apart from its educational and training activities, it organised medical assistance and carried out development work for the benefit of the poor residents living in slums.<ref name="lifesketch">Niyogi, Niranjan, ''Smritir Gourab, Smritir Sourav'' (Glorius Memoirs, Fragrant Memoirs), P166, published in 1969</ref>

==Magic lantern lectures==
He extensively toured the rural areas of Bengal and started using the [[magic lantern]] for spreading consciousness amongst the poor and uneducated sections of the population. He was a pioneer in this matter and acquired fame for adopting this method of mass communication in India. It proved to be highly effective and soon attracted the wrath of the administration. The popular Bengali writer [[Bimal Mitra]] has given a vivid description of one of his magic lantern lectures in Kolkata, in his Bengali novel ''Kori Diye Kinlam'', which had the first half of the twentieth century Kolkata as its backdrop. It was initially serialised in the leading literary magazine Desh and then published in book form.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/><ref name="lifesketch"/>

==Jailed for writing==
An avid reader, some of his books are preserved in the Asiatic Society library, [[Kolkata]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/asiatic-societies-bengal-and-bombay | title= Asiatic Societies of Bengal and Bombay | publisher= encyclopedia.com | accessdate = 14 February 2021}}</ref>

He wrote extensively and published highly provocative booklets inspiring people against British rule. Some of his booklets – ''Desher Dak'', ''Biplabi Bangla'', ''Bharate Tular Chas'', ''Bharate Kaporer Itihas'' and ''Bilati Bastra Barjon Koribo Keno'' - were extremely popular. The government banned some of these and he was often jailed for revolting against the king. In 1931, he was lodged in Buxa fort in North Bengal, which was turned into a prison "for dangerous revolutionaries".<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/><ref>{{cite web| url = https://archive.org/details/indianiyo00niyo | title= India by Jnananjan Niyogi |publisher= | accessdate = 14 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sachalayatan.com/sohelimam/55966 | title= পঞ্চাশের মন্বন্তর ও দুর্ভিক্ষের মানুষেরা : প্রথম পর্ব | work= Text in Bengali, acknowledgemets in English |publisher= Sachalayatan| accessdate = 14 February 2021}}</ref>

While he was a Congressman and was close to Chittaranjan Das, [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] and [[Bidhan Roy|Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy]] he maintained links with many underground revolutionaries and provided them with support and sustenance.

==Promotion of Swadeshi goods==
He was a leader in the field of promotion of [[Swadeshi movement|swadeshi]] goods. In order to promote the use of indigenous materials, he used to organise Swadeshi Mela during the Durga Puja festivities. He set up a permanent exhibition at Barabazar and opened a sales counter named Swadeshi Bhandar at College Street Market. At the request of Subhas Chandra Bose, then Mayor of Kolkata, he set up the Commercial Museum on the first floor of College Street Market and organised a Buy Swadeshi movement. He displayed his organisational capabilities in setting up the Indigenous Manufacturers' Association. He established a Salesman Training Institute for the purpose.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

==Post independence activities and later life==
With the attainment of Indian independence, he was associated with the organisational matters of the Congress Party. When refugees poured in from East Pakistan, he put his heart and soul in rehabilitation work. He organised a mobile exhibition on rails the promotion of indigenously manufactured products and displayed his organisational skills during the first all-India exhibition at [[Eden Gardens]] in 1948. During the period, he also established the National Chamber of Commerce and All India Manufacturers’ Association.

He took an active interest in the rehabilitation of those affected by the project work of [[Damodar Valley Corporation]] and visited many of the rehabilitation villages for interaction with those affected. He was responsible for the site selection, at the primary stage, and initial development work for the setting up of the industrial township at [[Durgapur, West Bengal|Durgapur]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://blog.goodsonmove.com/2017/02/durgapur-industrial-development-post.html | title= Durgapur - Industrial development post independence |publisher= Goods on move | accessdate = 14 February 2021}}</ref><ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

==Personal life==
He was married in 1920 to Asoka, daughter of Damodar Paul. Both his children were brilliant scholars. His daughter, Dr Roma Niyogi, was professor of history at [[Bethune College]], Kolkata. His son, Dr Dipankar Niyogi, was professor of geology at the [[Indian Institutes of Technology|Indian Institute of Technology]], Kharagpur.

==Death==
He died, aged 65, on 13 February 1956 at the Calcutta Working Men's Institution.<ref name = "charitabhidhan"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jnananjan Niyogi}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niyogi, Jnananjan}}
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Bengal]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Bengali politicians]]
[[Category:Brahmos]]
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:People from Gaya, India]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Bihar]]

Jnananjan Niyogi - Revision history

>BrownHairedGirl at 22:17, 5 May 2021